SGL-104 light shotgun
The SGL-104 Compact Combat Shotgun is a light semi-automatic shotgun that functions as the standard service shotgun of Ground Force and Marine Corps infantrymen. Initially, the Ground Force was considering commissioning an underslung shotgun attachment for the ARH-101 and ARL-100, but it was decided that a standalone weapon would offer greater capability and flexibility for troops in the field, particularly when the ARH-101 was deemed too bulky for operations or unsuitable for use with larger munitions. While the ARH-101 is known for its tremendous size, the SGL-104 is best known for its extremely light weight yet copious ammunition storage achieved through the use of composites and a top-mounted rotating magazine. The SGL-104 was phased into service relatively quickly, as mass production of the lightweight, simple weapon was easy to coordinate and it did not require a preexisting weapon to be phased out of service. It serves as a backup and support weapon designed to fill roles the ARH-101 is not well-suited to, mainly close-combat in tight quarters as well as the use of non-lethal ammunition for crowd-control purposes. It is deployed alongside the ARH-101 for most field battle scenarios, although urban combat scenarios may result in a weapon switch, with the more capable SGH-105 heavy automatic shotgun issued for primary combat and the ARL-100 issued as a support weapon. History Unlike the ARH-101 and several other common weapons in the Ground Force inventory, the SGL-104 was not the result of a competition, but was instead directly contracted to Nasha Personal Defense Systems. Design criteria were for a lightweight, simple, and compact weapon to round out the average infantryman's engagement capability, which already consisted of an ARH-101 assault rifle, a sidearm, and possibly other specialist weapons. Nasha PDS took an existing shotgun in their inventory, the CSG-50 police shotgun and began modifying it to fit the military criteria. The CSG-50 was already in common use by police units and was favored for its compact size and copious magazine capacity, making it well-suited to crowd control purposes as it could engage multiple targets with ease in an urban situation. For military use, the CSG-50 was ruggedized with a higher-quality composite frame, increasing durability with minimal weight gain. The fire control computer, already a very simplified device, was replaced with a more streamlined military model, and the formerly fixed stock was modified to be collapsible for easier stowage. When the magazine is removed, the frame was further modified to collapse telescopically for further reduced length. In its most compact form, the SGL-104 measures only 500 millimeters in length, but cannot be fired in this configuration as the magazine cannot be fitted. Submitted for testing, the weapon was quickly approved, meeting all of the design criteria by a comfortable margin. The shotguns were issued to frontline soldiers in short order, followed by garrison troops. It has also been issued to Star Fleet security officers as its compact size also makes it very useful aboard starships and in other tight situations. The SGL-104 and its larger counterpart, the SGH-105 make up the most common shotguns in the Defense Force, although the SGL-104's circulation greatly exceeds that of the SGH-105. Design The SGL-104 is a semi-automatic shotgun, using an auto-regulating gas-operated system to chamber the next round in the magazine. The magazine itself is mounted above the weapon, with the rounds stored perpendicular to the barrel. A rotating feed system at the edge of the magazine rotates the shells to the proper orientation and drops them into the chamber, while spent shells are ejected from the bottom of the weapon. The auto-regulating gas-operation system was selected for its simplicity, composed of only four moving parts, it is extremely reliable and very easy to disassemble and repair in the field, and adds minimal weight to the gun, as the barrel and gas system are the only major metal parts in the weapon. The stripped-down computer is only responsible for maintaining the ammunition count, targeting reticule, and alerting the user to jams in the weapon; the SGL-104's operation is entirely mechanical. Although normally used in semi-automatic mode, the weapon does retain a manual cycling handle, which is used to cycle new round when using low-power ammunition that lacks sufficient force to reload the weapon on its own. It can also be used to manually chamber a new round without firing the current round, should a defect, jam, or other obstruction come to the attention of the shooter. The SGL-104 is designed to fire standard 2.75" shells from its magazine, although it can accommodate 3" shells if loaded manually without the magazine. 3.5" inch shells are larger than the loading aperture can accept, and are not compatible with the weapon. Servicing and durability The weapon can be dismantled and reassembled without the use of tools in the field, allowing for quick maintenance or repairs in the event of a malfunction. Despite this, the weapon's sheer simplicity makes jams or misfires almost impossible, meaning that the maintenance is rarely needed, a desirable quality in a secondary weapon. Many of the parts in the weapon are modular, allowing for quick changes to adapt the weapon for a particular environment, although in its standard configuration, it is designed for general use in both close-combat and medium-range engagements. It is backwards-compatible with parts from the civilian CSG-50, such as the standard fixed stock, as well as more advanced military optics to improve the weapon's usefulness in adverse situations. The barrel is rated for at least 26,000 rounds. The Arzorium-Alium barrel assembly is extremely durable and corrosion-resistant, while the composite frame is similarly reliable. The standard unit is painted with a color-shift coating with black as its default setting. As a simple weapon, it does not maintain the internal circuitry to achieve a pattern shift on its own, and must be attached to an object with the requisite computing strength, such as being held or attached to a soldier's standard body armor or stored in a transport cradle. Role The SGL-104 is used as a secondary weapon designed to supplement the long-range firepower of the ARH-101. The wide-scale implementation of power armor makes it significantly easier to carry multiple weapons, allowing for greater capability than a combination or add-on weapon. Its capabilities are on par with other military shotguns, but it is not as capable as a large automatic shotgun, which is considered a primary weapon in the Defense Force. The SGL-104 is commonly used for building-clearing and urban operations, particularly by troops entering the city from the outskirts or in cities where long-range engagements are possible and the ARH-101 is still considered a necessary asset. It is usually issued with standard 20-gauge shells, although it can also accept non-lethal beanbag, taser, and other rounds if needed for crowd-control use. Possession of multiple weapons also allows for a mixing of lethal and non-lethal capabilities in a hostile environment with civilians, allowing troops to engage civilian and military targets with different weapons as needed. Despite its compact size and simplicity of design, the SGL-104 is notable for its tremendous stopping power, firing its shells at a speed equivalent to a standard assault rifle, speeds made possible through the use of high-energy gel propellant in the standard shells. Because of this, the weapon is considered lethal out to a range of 70 yards, double that of a normal shotgun, and with solid slugs is capable of hitting targets at 600 meters, reaching well into the realm of rifle territory. Non-lethal rounds are normally fired with smaller charges to reduce their velocity to acceptable levels. Category:Military Equipment Category:New Free Planets Alliance Category:Free Planets Ground Force Category:Free Planets Marine Corps